Newbie - help please 182 vs 172?

[fletchie]

Hi Guys (and lasses)

I'm about to take the plunge and part ex my mini cooper for a Clio 182 or 172.

The problem I have is which model? I know alittle bit about the BHP increase and the twin exhaust, but other than than, nothing!

Can anybody please guide me as to which one I should get? The two cars I am torn between are both black in colour, both have under 12,000 miles on the clock and the 182 has about £1k increased price difference. If I go for the 172 will I disapointed? I don't know if either of the cars have the cup packs on them. Is there any obvious way of telling? The dealer doesn't know either (private garage, not renault dealer)

I'm not really a mad speed fanatic, just like a nice performance car and after a mini cooper which isn't the best in comfort (although great fun to drive) the clio looks right up my street. Insurance isn't a problem for me being a female in my early 30's, so i'm happy to give the clio sport a go. What can i expect from either car?

Has anybody any experience from going from a car like a mini to a 172/182?

Any advice greatly appreciated,

Jean

 

[big_peaches]

if you go for the 172....they have problems with rear shock failure. 182 will do 0-60 in 6.5 172 will do it 7 plus they have better flowing exhausts

 

[big_peaches]

i went from a 1.2 ltr clio to a 182......wasnt too much too handle,,,,,the cars really nice to drive. when variable valve kicks in a little after 5000rpm it can be a bit of a handfull,,,,,but worth it breaks are amazing 100-0 in less than 6 secs

 

[sm_wrc]

If you have the budget, I'd go for the 182, as it has some improvements over the 172. There may be more of the 3 year warrenty left on the car too, depending on the age of it.

The way to tell if the 182 has cup packs is the wheel colour. If they are anthracite/dark grey, instead of silver, you have the cup suspension fitted. The spoiler pack is a combination of a front splitter, and a bigger rear spoiler than the 172 type.

Good choice of colour by the way.

Steve

 

[Day]

The shocks are the same on the 172 as the 182.

I have seen quite a few 182 owners post up recently with leaking shocks on cars under 2 years old :shock:

Depending if you want ABS and Aircon then a 172 Cup should be on par with the standard 182 if not better.

For the money I don't think the car is any better just newer.

 

[big_peaches]

oh i thought they had revised shocks........cheers for that

 

[Day]

You would think so wouldn't you...

I'm still on my orginal 5 year old shocks

 

[Guest]

SHOCKS ARE DIFFRENT ON 182 CUPs :wink:

 

[fletchie]

Shocks? :? :?

Sorry I don't know what they are, but i'm guessing it's something to do with the suspension? I think the car is a 'full fat' 182. It has climate control, nice leather/suede seats and the wheels are the normal silver colour, not dark. It was first registered in November 2004, so there is some manufacture warranty left and it has done 13800 miles. I'm not really a speed demon, i rarely drive on roads that allow some speed in anycase, but I have always appreciated (and respected) fast/performance cars. I guess some people will wonder why I should bother if it won't get used to it's potential, but after having a mini cooper, there's not much left that's in the same class and looks as good. Can anybody recommend a website with some good photos for me to oggle over?

The only other thing that I noticed is that the windows were all really dark - I sat in the car and thought how dark it was - do all 182's come with this tinted glass? Compared to the mini it's like a total black out. You can't see through the glass from the outside unless you press your face right up to it. I've never had glass as dark as this and am alittle unsure about wether i like it or not.

I'm going for the test drive on Saturday....

Thanks for the responses,
Jean

 

[Portland]

If you're not wanting to thrash the car around, the 182 full fat will do you nicely, and has a few more "home comforts" such as the auto air con, xenon ights etc. Sounds like the windows might have had an aftermarket tint applied to them, might be an idea to ask about that. Look on the bright side, the xenon lights will help at night. The extra power is offset by an increase in weight added by these toys.

Even the full fat doesn't hang around, but adding the cup packs, or going for a 182 cup or Trophy improves handling (and shaves off weight in the case of the cup and Trophy). If prices are similar, the 182 will have more warranty left.

One big thing to consider with the 172, check that it has ABS and ESP, as the 172 cup was trimmed down to save weight. ABS and ESP/traction control are very handy in day to day driving, and you can always turn off the ESP for thrashing.

Here’s a quick copy/paste from a previous thread comparing the various 182’s:



182 Non cup (otherwise known as full fat) - Heaviest and highest of the lot, but has Xenon headlights, automatic climate control, all the bells and whistles.

Then comes cupped 182 full fat. This is a full fat with factory fit options. You retain the extra toys (and weight) but get spoiler, stiffened and lowered suspension, better wheels etc.

Next is the 182 cup. This is a slightly stripped full fat with non xenon headlights and manual ac (which does the job) and comes with the suspension, spoiler and tweaked wheels. This only comes in Inferno metallic (a rather nice pearlescent orange, hard to describe) and solid blue, often with optional white stripes.

Towards the end of the run, small numbers of all 3 of these had Recaros factory fitted, but there weren't many.

Finally is the Trophy. It's based on the cup, but is lowered a little further, has tweaky dampers (of use on track and bumpy roads) the spoiler from the V6 (so the hatchback doesn't open all the way up) and subtle side skirts. More importantly, it is lightened even further, with Recaro seats (albeit cheap ones) and speedline alloys (unsprung weight saving=good) also has a little more soundproofing etc ripped out, and is several kg lighter than the cup. The trophy was also a limited run, with 500/501 in right hand drive sold in the UK only and 50 (it was initially 25, but people moaned) left hand drive for Switzerland. You could say it was a cynical attempt to make sure they flogged all the engines and chassis they had in the Dieppe factory, but very few people payed rrp (I paid less than £13K new) and it is nicer than the cup, especially in terms of the wheels and seats.

Several RHD Trophies have already been binned, and some people have sold theirs at a profit. It won't be a car that will be an investment, but seems to hold value significantly better than the other 2.0 16v's. Only downsides are:

Group 17 insurance (others are 16) - No biggie

Hatch doesn't open all the way due to spoiler - No prob once you get used to it.

Chav's seem to want to race you in their Saxo VTSs and Poorly modded Novas.


Hope this is of use.

Cheers